Let’s cut the crap. If you’re one of those people who’s perpetually late to everything, you need to hear this: Your lack of punctuality is a giant middle finger to everyone around you.
I don’t care if you think you’re just “fashionably late” or if you’ve convinced yourself that your time is somehow more valuable than everyone else’s. The truth is, when you’re consistently tardy, you’re saying loud and clear that you don’t respect other people’s time or efforts.
Think about it. When you agree to meet someone at a certain time, you’re making a commitment. You’re saying, “I value you and our relationship enough to prioritize this interaction and show up when I said I would.” But when you waltz in 20 minutes late with some half-assed excuse, you’re essentially saying, “Just kidding, my desire to hit the snooze button four times is more important than honoring my word to you.”
And sure, maybe you don’t mean it that way. Maybe you’re just “bad with time” or you underestimate how long things will take. But guess what? That’s still your problem to solve, not everyone else’s to accommodate.
Because here’s the thing: When you’re late, it doesn’t just affect you. It creates a domino effect of inconvenience for everyone involved. The person waiting for you is now wasting their time, wondering if they got the meeting spot wrong or if you’re lying dead in a ditch somewhere. If it’s a group situation, now everyone else’s schedules are thrown off too. And if it’s a professional setting, your tardiness could be costing your company actual money.
But beyond the practical implications, being chronically late just makes you look like a self-centered flake. It sends the message that you can’t be trusted to follow through on your commitments, and that you don’t have your life together enough to manage your own schedule. Is that really the impression you want to make?
Now, I’m not saying you have to be a punctuality nazi who shows up everywhere 30 minutes early. Life happens, traffic jams pop up, and sometimes even the most well-intentioned person runs a few minutes behind. That’s understandable.
But if you find yourself consistently running late, it’s time to take a hard look at your habits and make some changes. Start setting your watch 10 minutes ahead, overestimating how long it will take you to get places, and building in buffer time for unexpected delays. And most importantly, start seeing punctuality as a matter of integrity and respect, not just a casual suggestion.
Because at the end of the day, being on time is about more than just good manners. It’s about being a reliable, considerate human being who understands that other people’s time is just as valuable as your own. And in a world that’s already frustrating and flaky enough, that’s a rare and valuable trait.
So show up when you say you will. Keep your commitments. And prove to the people in your life that they can count on you. It’s really not that hard – and it makes a bigger difference than you might think.